NBA rejects calls for national conference

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Friday said Nigeria does not need to convene a sovereign national conference to address its problems.

NBA President, Okechukwu Wali (SAN), at a press conference, said the country “does not need another gathering in Abuja.”

He said rather than convening such a national conference, attention should be paid towards amending the Constitution on a piecemeal basis according to the needs of Nigerians.

“Any modification to the Constitution can be done through the National Assembly. We recommend piecemeal amendment of the Constitution. We don’t think we need to create another gathering.

“We do not call for a sovereign national conference, because are we going to get people elected to do that? We don’t think it’s necessary,” Wali said.

In a communiqué read by Wali at the end of its Annual General Conference in Calabar, Cross River State, NBA, however, said the Constitution, as it currently operates, does not truly reflect the people’s yearnings and aspirations.

It added that ordinary amendments to its provisions may not necessarily cure the fundamental flaws in it.

“There is, therefore, a dire need for a people-oriented Constitution, which will be subjected to a national referendum and will be self-enforcing,” NBA said.

The association called for the enactment of a law to regulate the granting of amnesty to repentant criminals.

It said such important government policy should not be executed at the discretion of the President or the executive alone.

“It is high time to legislate and enact laws on amnesty in Nigeria with a view to regulating its application,” NBA said.

The NBA condemned the deplorable security situation in the country and “challenged” the Federal Government to review the strategy for fighting the menace of kidnapping and other forms of criminality.